Kate McElliott is the music director and drama teacher at Mill Springs Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia. MSA is a private school, grades 1-12, that teaches students who have not met their full potential in traditional classroom settings. The mission statement for the school is "...if a student can't learn the way we teach... we should teach the way a student can learn." Kate has been at Mill Springs for 10 years and she enjoys directing the lower school musical, teaching lower school music and drama, directing the JTF team, directing the music and drama literary festival team, conducting chorus, musically directing the high school's spring musical, and acting as chapter advisor for the International Thespian Society troop and Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter. Kate has her B.A. in Music (vocal performance) and M.Ed. in Special Education. Kate also ocasionally musically directs for the Holly Theater in Dahlonega, Georgia and teaches their younger students' summer camps. Kate was thrilled to receive the Spirit Freddie G Award in 2018. She has attended JTF since 2007 (first with with Holly Theater, then for the New Works Showcase with Dawson County Arts, and now with Mill Springs Academy for the past 10 years). Kate lives in the mountains of North Georgia with her husband, Don, and five children, ages 4-18 (who also participate on various JTF teams). She volunteers with St Vincent de Paul (aid for those in need) and ConnectAbility (special needs programming for adults and children) with her family. Kate loves to read, spend time outdoors, spend time with her children, and of course sing and act!